The period before the 20th century isn’t one that you would most readily associate with superheroes but, surprisingly, it works quite well. The penultimate episode ofWhat If…?Season 2, “What If… The Avengers Assembled In 1602”, saw Earth’s mightiest heroes dumped in an Elizabethan era. And it turned out to be one of thebetter-received episodes of the show. But it’s not the first time that familiar heroes have been placed in the past. Most notably, it was Batman who found himself in the unusual setting of the Victorian era inGotham by Gaslight. The animated movie was adapted from theElseworldscomic book series, which was DC’s response to Marvel’sWhat If…?But as far as the adaptation goes,Gotham by Gaslightis a very loose one that carves out a unique identity for itself using a steampunk version of The Dark Knight.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
In an alternative Victorian Age Gotham City, Batman begins his war on crime while he investigates a new series of murders by Jack the Ripper.
‘Gotham By Gaslight’ Places Batman In A Victorian Era
In this iteration of the Batman universe, Gotham is as foggy and filthy as you would ever expect it to be. Still, here,its aesthetics are remodeled to a Victorian era.This version of Gotham feels like it’s only just discovering the miracles of modern science. Bruce Wayne (Bruce Greenwood)is pursuing his fingerprint hypothesis to put criminals behind bars and the newly installed Fox Wheel (presumably,it’s Lucius Foxwho invents the Ferris Wheel here) has citizens concerned if the human body can withstand such speed. History isn’t just the backdrop of a Batman story here,it guides and motivates the central charactersin a way that pleases the mind -Batman learns his art of deduction from Sherlock Holmes and his sleight of hands from Harry Houdini.
Gotham’s roads are stone paved. Its elites wear top hats and frequent fancy theaters, while the less fortunate resort to a life of crime in its dark alleys. The city turns for the worsewhen the infamous Jack the Ripper makes his presence knownby brutally murdering female sex workers off the street. But since these women are considered to be of ill repute, the police don’t extend as much effort into catching the killer. In fact,there are those in the force who would say that the Ripper is doing nothing wrong.
So, it’s Batman who takes it upon himself to take down the killer. The movie spares us the painfully tediousdetail of Batman’s origins- god knows his parents have been killed enough times already - and jumps to the point where he saves a wealthy couple from being robbed by a trio of Dickensian street urchins. Given that it’s the Victorian era,this version of Batman mostly relies on his fists to take down the baddies, but there are times when he uses his signature grappling hook that ascribes the vigilante a steampunk vibe. Still, everything in Batman’s inventory falls short of defeating Jack the Ripper, even when he’s aided by the feisty Selina Kyle (Jennifer Carpenter). What’s worse,thepolice suspect Bruce Wayne to be Jack the Ripper, and the sly Harvey Dent (Yuri Lowenthal) is more than happy to produce evidence that would incriminate Bruce. Batman must now escape the prison and catch the real Jack the Ripper to prove his innocence.
In Defense of George Clooney’s Batman Nipple Suit
Free the nipple!
The Movie Reinvents Batman Characters in Interesting Ways
The movie has a very amusing manner ofreinterpreting iconicBatmancharacters to better align with its time period. Selina doesn’t don her Catwoman suit, but her dialogues constantly allude to her love for cats. Here, she’s a lively performer at the Monarch Theater (best known as the last location where Thomas andMartha Waynewere seen alive) and an advocate for destitute women who fall victim to Jack the Ripper. Later, we learn that she is a lion tamer, which makes her more than handy with a whip in her fight against Jack the Ripper. The street urchins - Dickie (Lincoln Melcher), Jason (Grey Griffin), and Timmy (Tara Strong) - that Batman helps early on get enlisted by Alfred Pennyworth (Anthony Head), and essentially become the Robins of this story.
Leslie Thompkins (Grey Griffin), who is often neglected in DC adaptations, makes an appearance as a righteous nun looking after the poor and orphaned kids. Harvey Dent is a rich, womanizing brat. Though he acts all chummy with Bruce, Harvey unhesitantly betrays Bruce after Selina slights him in favor of Bruce. Here, his two-faced persona takes on a more symbolic nature. Still, it must be said thatnot allcharacter reinventionsare handled well.Alfred has very little to do in the overall story and feels like a wasted potential. Poison Ivy (Kari Wuhrer) suffers the most in this regard as she’s relegated to the position of an exotic dancer fated to become nothing more than Jack the Ripper’s very first victim.
‘Gotham by Gaslight’ Is a Classic Crime Mystery
The best superhero movies are ones that momentarilyforget they’re superhero moviesandplay within the parameters of a particular genre.Think ofLoganblendingthe neo-western genreseamlessly with the journey of its rugged hero orThe Dark Knightcrafting an edge-of-the-seat crime thriller with the ploys of its inscrutable villain.Gotham By Gaslightfollows the same philosophy and sets out to create a classic mystery first and foremost. The movie’s primary intention is to build an atmosphere thick with tension punctuated with moments of red herrings. The movie includes many of the classicBatmanvillains to keep you guessing the identity of its killer.
As such,fight scenes are usedvery sparingly, but when they do appear, they are made to count - especially the final action set piece that takes place over a flying zeppelin. Even the fight scenes carry a palpable sense of danger, sinceit’s established that Jack the Ripper is a skilled combatant, even more so than Batman himself. The movie deviates greatly from its eponymous source, changing the overall story and the identity of the killer, which makes the film a worthwhile viewing for even those who have read the comics. This was an advantageous change, sincethe unmasking of Jack the Ripper gets the viewer by surprise with the revelation, as opposed to the comics where it was glaringly obvious who the killer was. And when it’s finally revealed who Jack the Ripper is, you see the already unfolded events in a new light -of course, it was him. The clues were there all along.
Gotham by Gaslightis available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.
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